ABSTRACT
Dendrobium（Orchidaceae） is traditional Chinese medicine with a high healthcare value，which can nourish Yin and tonify deficiency. Eighty-nine flavonoids were isolated from Dendrobium，mainly including flavones，flavanoes and flavonols. Among them，there were 40 flavonoids，the main aglycones were apigenin and chrysoeriol；20 flavanones；and 15 flavonols，and the main aglycones were kaempferol and quercetin. D. officinale and several other species also have flavanonols，anthocyanidins，chalcone and isoflavones. There were 34 species of Dendrobium containing flavonoids，including 38 flavonoids in D. officinale，28 flavonoids in D. huoshanense，19 flavonoids in D. devonianum，12 flavonoids in D. wardianum，5 flavonoids in D. thyrsiflorum，4 flavonoids in D. denneanum and D. findlayanum. Common flavonoids included naringenin，quercetin，rutin，which had pharmacological effects of resisting oxidation，lowering blood sugar，improving blood circulation，lowing cholesterol，and protecting the cardiovascular system. The existing studies of Dendrobium-related species，flavonoids and their physiological functions were reviewed in the expectation to promote the attention of the industry to Dendrobium flavonoids and explore values of Dendrobium plants in efficacy and food fields.
ABSTRACT
Alkaloids were regarded as important biological activity constituent in medicinal Dendrobium Sw., being characteristic pharmacodynamic components in plants from Dendrobium Sw. A total of 52 constituents of alkaloids were found in plants of Dendrobium Sw. They could be divided into five types, according to different structures. They were sesquiterpenoid alkaloids, octahydroindolizine alkaloids, amides alkaloids, pyrrolidine alkaloids, and imidazole alkaloids etc. Sesquiterpenoid alkaloids could be divided into dendrobine type, dendroxine type, nobiline type, etc. Over 19 Dendrobium species contain alkaloids, and the main species included D. nobile, D. chrysanthum, D. crepidatum, D. findleyanum, D. signatum, D. friedericksianum, etc. This paper reviews the structural classification of alkaloids in Dendrobium, and the species which containing alkaloids and the influencing factors of alkaloids in Dendrobium Sw., in order to provide reference for the in-depth study and the development of alkaloids in plants from Dendrobium Sw.